Friends Never Say Goodbye
by T.H.W
Summary: There isn't alot that Ron and Harry haven't gone through together. But when the final journey arrives, there's a chance that it won't be that way. NOT SLASH! R/R please.


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__

There isn't much I haven't shared,  
With you along the road.  
And through it all there'd always be,  
Tomorrow's episode.  


Suddenly that isn't true.  
There's another avenue,  
Beckoning the great divide.  
Ask no questions, take no side.  


Who's to say who's right or wrong?  
Whose course is braver run?  
Still we are, have always been,  
Will ever be as one.  


************************************************************************_  
_

He ran his hands through his hair, never moving from his slumped position. He was sitting in a chair, bent over his knees, his head in his hands. Directly in front of him, sat a radio, and it was blaring loudly, the crackling of the connection sounding louder than usual in the partially empty room. His eyes were staring straight ahead, all his concentration fixed on the crackled voice shouting from the radio.

"There's so much destruction! T-towns are destroyed! T-t-tow-," 

He sat up quickly adjusting the tuning dial so that the voice came through clearly. 

"Towns are being obliterated. There have been at least t-t-t-three small villages filled with Muggles reported to be completely wiped out. It appears that You-Know-Who's forces are heading towards Azkaban, but it's not certain! We don't know! It is likely more Aurors will be sent out, b-b-but whether they can handle the threat that is being imposed upon our world is questionable. One thing is certain: if something is not done and done soon, the Muggle world and the Magic world will collide with each other, and w-we will no longer be safe. N-n-nothing is certain, n-n-othing is set in st-t-t-o-one, n-noth-,"

Silence. He stared straight ahead, waiting for the voice to return. But it never did. The wizard operator cleared his throat nervously.

"Well, it appears that our witch correspondant, Sylvia Moville, currently at the scene of one of You-Know-Who's attacks in Liverpoole, has lost contact with us. We will attempt to re-establish a connection, but, well, we will try. More news of You-Know-Who's attacks will be updated as soon as we get more information. Now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast."

The boy switched off the radio with a swift flick of his finger. Slowly, he straightened, standing and stretching his limbs. He looked around the place he sat in. It was his home, but it was empty. Far too empty. Nine occupants had once lived here, a few in and out with their jobs, but nevertheless, it was home. Now there were only seven left. 

Bill was in Ireland, securing Gringotts treasure in secret caverns. Charlie was still in Romania, but was performing the heartrending task of preparing his beloved dragons to counter the Death Eaters' attacks. Fred and George had now been gone for six months. They'd joined the Aurors when they heard of the first attacks on Diagon Alley. Sometimes he wondered if the main reason they'd joined was to get revenge on the Death Eaters for taking out their chances for having a joke shop there, but if he was thinking seriously, he knew it wasn't true. They had joined for the same reasons that he was going to join. Well, the same _two_ reasons. 

One, for his Mum and Ginny. He had to protect them, and if becoming an Auror and countering the Death Eaters' attacks was the only way, then so be it. He would do it. He would do anything for his Mum and sister. Ginny was far from helpless. She had joined a wizard recruiting agency, and now worked on creating defenses against the Death Eaters. He sensed why she'd done this at such a young age, though she was scared senseless of the Death Eaters. It was because of that horrible incident in her first year, his second, with Tom Riddle. He sensed that even though she couldn't have her revenge on the sixteen year old manifestation of You-Know-Who, she'd be willing to do anything to stop his older self. Anything.

The other reason was revenge. Revenge for his father. He'd been one of the first wizards to be killed by the Death Eaters. He suspected Lucius Malfoy had done the honors of slaughtering his father, but he knew he'd never know unless the man told him himself. That would never happen. He hoped and prayed that he never saw Lucius Malfoy face to face, otherwise he'd be tempted to strangle him with his bare hands, which would surely lead to his death. He couldn't die. His Mum wouldn't be able to take that, not now.

And Percy? No one knew where Percy was. Since the attacks on the Ministry two months ago, no one could say. Many people had been killed, some had simply disappeared. Percy was one of those few. He remembered how his Mum had reacted. She'd learned of his Dad's death in the morning, then of Percy's disappearance that evening. For the first time in her life, Molly Weasley fainted. She'd never truly recovered. She was strong and brave, and she put this face forward, but inside, he knew she was slowly dying bit by bit. It was only a matter of time. If any of her remaining children were to die.............he knew it would be the end of her.

Gentle hands suddenly rested on his shoulders from behind him. He didn't turn, but simply stared out the window at his large backyard. He'd had so many good times back there. Swirling images began to swim across his memory as he stared. 

There was Charlie, showing him how to get on his broom and fly a few feet without falling off. And there was Percy sitting on the ground, chewing on a blade of grass watching as Fred and George showed him how to fly as fast as he could, again, without falling off. It was a complex he had. When he was young, he couldn't ever fly very far without losing his balance. All his brothers, even Bill and Percy tried to help. Bill flew with him around the yard for an entire afternoon once. Percy worked out ideas on a piece of parchment that were sure to keep him on his broomstick. But the only person who had been able to keep him on his broomstick, who had taught him to stay focused and seated, was his Dad. As the voice behind him spoke, the images faded, replaced by an empty yard, surrounded by an angry, gray sky.

"Are you alright, Ron?" 

He slowly turned to face Hermione and shrugged. He was only eighteen. A year out of Hogwarts. He shouldn't have had to face this so soon. Hermione knew that. She hated to see him like this. Hated to see the anguish and longing in his face. But it was always there, constantly, tearing at his heart and vision till he could barely see the reality around him clearly.

"I'll be fine, Hermione." A lengthy pause followed, before he raised his chin and stared firmly down at her. "I'm joining up." 

This declaration was followed by a small gasp, and Hermione's small hand grasping his own

"Please don't do it, Ron! We need you here! You've been more than helpful to us. You've helped us come up with more defenses and plans to counter You-Know-Who than anyone!" Hermione pleaded, her brown eyes frantic.

"Hermione, I can't sit behind a desk while other people, people I know and grew up with, are out there dying! D'ya know that last I heard of Neville and Seamus was _three_ months ago? They were last reported to be outside Liverpoole! Liverpoole is a bloody wreck! I don't know whether or not they're alive or dead!" Ron stormed angrily, his eyes blazing.

"They were my friends too, Ron! I care about them too! But Ron, let others do it. You're helping us _here_. That's helping Neville and Seamus, and well, everyone else. It is, Ron! Let others go out and fight." 

Ron's eyes widened dangerously and a flush of color rushed to his cheeks.

"You mean people like Harry, don't you?" He asked coldly. Hermione paled and shook her head uncertainly. "What? You think I'm not as good as Harry or something? Think my poor innocent eyes can't take the scenes of battle? Is that it?"

"No, no!" Hermione whispered frantically.

"Well, then what are you thinking?" Ron snapped.

"Ron, you're just, I don't know. I want you _here_."

"So does my Mum. But I can't do that. I've got to protect them. I _can_ protect them." 

"How do you know?" Hermione's voice changed from quiet protest to angryindignation. "How do you know you can?"

"How d'you know _Harry_ can stand it?" Ron snapped. Hermione was struck into silence. She could only stare at the boy in front of her. "Lemme tell you something, Hermione. I've stood in Harry's shadow since first year. The _great_ Harry Potter, the _fabulous_ kid who stopped You-Know-Who, the _amazing_ bloody savior of the world!"Ron said sarcastically. Hermione gripped his arm tighter, disbelief echoing in her dark eyes.

"Ron, Harry's your best friend, surely,"

"Of course he is!" Ron interrupted. "You think I blame _him_ for every bloody person in the world thinking that about him? I don't. He can't help that. I never hated him for that, but I regretted it, because _I_ was just the dopey sidekick, just like Malfoy always said." 

"You don't _believe_ Malfoy?! Ron, you were never the dopey sidekick." Hermione soothed frantically, sensing that with every minute that ticked by, she was losing him. With every word he said, he slipped farther and farther away from her.

"Hermione, in my lifetime, I've seen a few Muggle pictures, courtesy of Harry, you remember. In those few Muggle films, I noticed one thing that _always_ happened. There's always a hero, a dopey sidekick and the intelligent best friend or chick. Hermione, two of those spots are filled. There's only one left." Ron said, his voice slowly losing its maddened edge.

"You're not, Ron." Hermione repeated desperately.

"Hermione, the only way I've got to prove myself to _me_ is if I do this. You can't stop me." 

Hermione, seeing that she'd finally lost, desperately grasped for something, anything to assure Ron's safety. She couldn't lose him, not now.

"Then I'll try to petition that you and Harry make it on the same Auror defense team." 

Ron stared at Hermione, a slight twinkle entering his eyes.

"You don't stop, do you? Always got to have the upper hand." Ron said quietly, a small smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. 

Hermione let loose a sob she'd meant to hold back. Sympathy replaced anger, and Ron slowly drew her to him, resting his chin on her frizzy brown hair as her shoulders began to shake.

"Let it all out, Hermione. Let it all out." Ron whispered, blinking to keep his own frightened tears from falling.

"I don't want you to go." She sobbed.

"I know. But I've got to." He whispered.

"I haven't felt like this since, since, I don't know! First year!" Hermione burst out through her tears. Ron chuckled softly and looked down at her.

"When did you ever feel like this in first year, Hermione? I never did anything life-threatening, well _really_ life-threatening in first year." Ron said with a smile. Hermione slowly pulled away, wiping fiercely at the tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Yes, you did. I felt like this when we had to get through that horrid chess game to get to the Sorcerer's Stone!" She burst out, almost angrily. Ron couldn't say anything, could only stare at her in surprise. He'd almost forgotten that game. "I felt so helpless, so stupid!"

"You? Stupid? Hermione, honestly." Ron said, chuckling in spite of himself.

"I _did_!" Hermione retorted. "I didn't know anything about chess. Thought I shouldn't waste my time in learning it. Then we went down there and what do we have to get past? A chess set! And I couldn't help at all!"

"There wasn't anything you could do. Even Harry wasn't sure of what to do, Hermione." Ron countered.

"Yes, but I _should_ have known. Should have listened to you when you invited me to learn how to play. But I didn't and you got hurt!" 

Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head at the girl in front of him.

"Hermione, I didn't get _hurt_. I got knocked out from that blow to my head, but that's it. I'm still here aren't I?"

"Yes, but maybe you won't be later." 

"Hermione, if I don't get through this, then it was meant to be that way. But at least I'll have done something that I can be proud of." Ron said quietly, mirth fading from his gaze as he slowly turned away. "I'll talk to you later, Hermione. Gotta go tell Mum and pack." 

"Ron," Ron turned back to Hermione as she called after him. She stood alone in the dining room now, her hands clenched at her sides, her chin raised high. "Ron, that day when we went to find the Sorcerer's Stone. You weren't a sidekick." 

Ron frowned at her, his foot still resting on the first step of the stairs leading to his room. Hermione nodded in affirmation.

"You were the hero, Ron." 

A lump Ron couldn't explain, formed in his throat. Little Hermione, standing there so proud and tall, he couldn't take it. He finally realized: he was leaving her. Leaving this life behind. He wasn't about to go find a Sorcerer's Stone. It wasn't any of his boyhood adventures. He was leaving, but now he was going to play chess, play chess with the master of evil and darkness. 

******************

"You're _what_?" 

"I'm going to join the Aurors." 

"But, but, _why_?" 

"Because I need to, Harry. I need to prove myself."

Harry stared at Ron in shock, his green eyes blinking in a confused way that Ron found rather funny. He'd never really known Harry to get this great a shock before. Not over him anyway. 

"Harry, mate, if you don't close your mouth, you're gonna attract flies." He joked. Slowly, Harry closed his mouth, his eyes still fixed on Ron. 

"When did you come to this conclusion?" Harry asked quietly.

"Couple days ago." 

"Oh."

Harry toyed with the Chudley Cannons bedsheet beneath him, his eyes moving from Ron's face to the floor. Ron figured that he'd come to the Burrow after a time. He had a few days before Auror training after all. Most likely wanted to say good-bye, either that or he came because Hermione sent him an owl to come talk him out of his decision. Ron figured that it had to be a mixture of both. But Hermione obviously hadn't told him _what_ the problem was. Harry had looked too surprised at his declaration. 

"So, Hermione knows, I guess." Harry faltered.

"Yeah. She doesn't want me to go." Ron said easily, standing and looking out his window.

"Well, I thought, I mean, I thought you were going to stay here, with the planning committee." Harry said slowly, finally looking back up at his friend.

"Harry, I can't stay here and draw up a bloody plan while everybody else is out protecting everybody else!"

"Ron, you _are_ protecting everyone! You're the brains behind the operations that we put into effect!" Harry said firmly.

"Well, I don't WANT to be the brains! You know what I was like in school! I didn't want to study! I wanted to be a _part_ of things! I wanted to be in the thick of them! I didn't go along with those crazy plans we had in school because I wanted to make sure you weren't breaking _rules_!" Ron said, his words dripping sarcasm. Harry stared up at him and chuckled under his breath.

"Well, I guess not. I think I would have left you behind long ago if you were fixed on doing that." Harry said, a grin slowly spreading across his face. 

Some of Ron's frustration disappeared and a wan smile stretched across his lips. He heaved a great sigh and sat down beside Harry on the bed.

"I don't want to hurt Mum or Hermione by going, but I've _got_ to go. For, well, for Dad." Ron faltered. 

Harry nodded slowly and put his arm tentatively on his friend's back. Ron's reason made sense. Harry didn't join the Aurors because he was the Boy Who Lived. He had joined because of the people who'd given up their lives so he _could_ be the Boy Who Lived: his parents. 

"We'll work it out, Ron. We will." Harry said quietly.

"Mum hasn't said anything to me about it an' I know she's frightened to death. Whenever Ginny looks at me, she gets all pale and frightened looking. Whenever _Hermione_ sees me, she just turns away. She doesn't understand." Ron said fiercely.

"She understands, Ron. She just doesn't want to let go so quickly." Harry reassured him.

"She tell you that?" 

"Yeah. What, you think she didn't cry when I said _I_ was joining the Aurors?" Harry asked.

"I dunno. She's okay with you going. She's sure you'll be okay. You're the Boy Who Lived! You can get through _anything_!" Ron said sarcastically. "But Ron Weasley, now he's different. He can't even get through a ruddy _chess_ game without getting knocked out, so for heaven's sake, don't send him out to a bloody war!" Ron stormed angrily. 

Harry watched his friend rant about Hermione with mixed feelings. He knew how Hermione felt. She'd told him how she felt after he told her he was joining the Aurors. She didn't want Ron to follow him out there. She wanted him to stay close to her, where she was sure he'd be safe. She loved him, but couldn't find the right time to say it. She wanted him to stay close to her, safe, away from danger. Surely, Ron knew how she felt. Did he just not care? Or did he understand, but want to take the initiative and fight his own fight? 

"Ron, you know that isn't true. She doesn't feel that way." Harry said quietly, unsure of anything else to say. Ron shook his head and sighed deeply.

"I know. I'm just mad at everyone, I suppose. I mean, just mad about things. You know? There's so many unresolved issues and worries. I don't know." Ron whispered. 

"That's understandable, but why don't you tell Hermione that?" Harry suggested. Ron glanced up at him, his eyes narrowed slightly. But Ron did not go off on another tirade. Instead, he asked quietly,

"You think she'd listen?" 

"Sure. It'd be hard for her to hear, but she'd be glad to have an explanation." 

"Yeah." Ron nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on a point far away from the Burrow. After a time, he turned to look at Harry, that familiar smile slipping over his lips and spreading to his eyes. "Glad you came to talk to me, mate."

"Anytime. But you'd better try to keep that temper under control when you talk to Hermione. She might not accept it as well as I did." Harry said, a grin spreading across his face. Ron laughed and rested his head in his hands.

"She's not gonna be happy about this is she?" He asked quietly.

"Well, it's the first time we've ever left her behind. We're not going to be together anymore. It'll just be hard." Harry answered knowingly.

"Yeah. I guess, I guess I'd never thought about it before. But at least you an' me will be together. Right, Harry?" 

Harry smiled and nodded at his best friend.

"Right, Ron. Always."

************************************************************************ 

__

What is done has been done for the best.  
Though the mist in my eyes might suggest,  
Just a little confusion about what I'll lose.  
But if I started over, I know I would choose,

The same joy, the same sadness each step of the way,  
That fought me and taught me that friends never say,  
Never say goodbye.  
  
Suddenly that isn't true.  
There's another avenue,  
Beckoning, the great divide.  
I would choose,  
The same joy, the same sadness each step of the way.  
That fought me and taught me that friends never say,  
Never say goodbye.  


************************************************************************ 

"You've passed. Congratulations, Aurors." 

Ron breathed a sigh of relief as the head witch before him smiled wistfully as the other recruits around him cheered at the affirmation. Beside him, Harry breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at him.

"Glad that's over."

"What? A little too hard for the famous Harry Potter, is it?" Ron asked sarcastically. Harry rolled his eyes and smacked Ron's arm affectionately.

"Yeah, you were giving me a run for my money with the _Properus_ charm."

"Well, I _was_ good at Charms, in case you don't remember."

"I don't."

Ron rolled his eyes and made a move to smack him, but immediately straightened as the head witch returned to the field where the recruits had just finished their final exercises. The witch's short silver hair blew wildly from the harsh wind, but she ignored it, instead simply staring out at the recruits. There seemed to be a moistness in her eyes, but Ron thought he could have imagined it, because a minute later, she was staring at them with familiar superiority.

"Normally, recruits are given at least a week before they are given a mission. But it has come to our attention from one of our spies, Remus Lupin," Ron cast a knowing look in Harry's direction, and Harry smiled. "That we need recruits immediately. That is why," The misty look that Ron had thought he'd seen on the witch, returned, and she briskly turned from them, running her hand across her face. "That is why we are sending you out on a mission. You will be divided into two groups, but both of you shall be going to the same destination. Our Aurors need backup at Azkaban."

There was a general murmur of shock and surprise, as well as fright from the recruits who stared at each other, their mouths dropped open, unable to form a coherant thought. 

"Azkaban?" Ron whispered. Harry stared at him, then shook his head.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"_Hermione_."

"What about,"

Ron suddenly stopped dead. He'd forgotten that Hermione was here. She'd come to see their final testing and she was out there in the audience watching. She knew that they were going to Azkaban. A renewed worry came over Ron as he thought of what she would look like when she heard the head witch's words. He had explained to her not long after his talk with Harry, why he acted and spoke like he did. She understood, and forgave him, but still Ron sensed the worry that seeped from her eyes whenever he was around. Now with this information, she'd go crazy with worry, not just for him, but for Harry as well.

"I know that this is quite sudden. But it is necessary. We must quash Voldemort's attempts on Azkaban. If we do, we have a better chance of winning this war. Voldemort himself will be at Azkaban, as well as his Death Eaters. If we can defeat him at Azkaban, the tides could turn. You will be numbered off by ones and twos in a moment. The group of ones will leave immediately for Azkaban. The twos will go to Hosmeade and will remain stationed there until backup is needed. Good luck."

The witch hastily left the field, her voice breaking as she finished her announcement. Harry stared after her, then turned to Ron.

"So, what do we do?"

"What _can_ we do, mate? We take our orders, right?"

"Right. I mean, I suppose so."

"You _suppose_ so? What happened to the brave and fearless Boy Who Lived?" 

Harry rolled his eyes and fingered his wand.

"Always got to have the upper hand, don't you, Ron?"

"I'd prefer to, yeah." Ron heaved a great sigh. "So now, now we go to Azkaban. Mum is gonna kill me." Ron said soberly. Harry glanced at him and chuckled. "Well, she is. She didn't want me to go and now here I am, getting the most dangerous mission ever. How lucky am I?" Ron muttered.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll probably be on your Mum's murder list too. I'm goin' as well, an' she didn't take kindly to that either."

"True, but well, everything with Neville, well, it shook her up a bit. She knew that they were on their way to Azkaban. Fudge told her so." Ron said slowly. 

A few months after he'd joined into Auror training, they'd gotten word that Neville Longbottom was missing-in-action, and believed to have been taken by the Death Eaters alive. Only a few weeks after that, he was found on the borders of Hogsmeade, spread-eagled and very clearly dead. A message was found pinned to his shirt which read, 

_We don't take kindly to those who do not give us information. Be warned and prepare for your doom._

Ron had been shocked, but at the same time glad for Neville. Neville had done the thing that he'd always dreamed of, he'd stood up to someone of great power, Voldemort, and had resisted them. At least, he'd done it. He was in a better place. But he, Ron Weasley, was getting ready to go to the same hell that Neville had been marching towards. Didn't exactly fill him with the greatest of comfort.

"It's gonna be hard, ain't it?" Harry murmured, staring hard at the ground. Ron could tell that he'd been thinking the same things as he. It was impossible not to.

"Sure, Harry. But at least we'll be together." Ron said with a smile. Harry met his eyes and nodded soberly, a thankful smile curling at the corners of his lips. But just as he did so, Ron looked up at a weary-looking wizard who approached them, pointed at Harry, and yawned,

"One." Then he pointed at Ron and said, "Two."

Then he departed, going down the line of witches and wizards, counting them off. Harry and Ron stared at each other, dumbfounded. 

"They, they used a damn number system." Ron spluttered.

"We're not going in together, Ron." Harry whispered breathlessly. 

Ron took a step back from Harry, shock overwhelming him. He could hear yelling now. He glanced at the side of the field. It was Hermione, and she was screaming at Cornelius Fudge, who ignored her and waved his hands dismissively. 

"You can't do this! They're best friends! You can't separate them like this! There's got to be a more efficient way to divide them up! Listen to me!" Hermione screamed. But Fudge just shook his head.

"I'm sure you have many ideas, Miss Granger, but the recruits have already been divided. I'm sorry."

"No, you're NOT!" Hermione screamed. "You don't care! You didn't care when Professor Dumbledore advised you to send envoys to the giants! You didn't care when Hogwarts was attacked! You didn't care when the Death Eaters killed Arthur Weasley! You didn't care when most of _my_ friends were killed! When Neville was killed! All you could give him was a wonderful little eulogy! You don't care at all!" 

"My dear girl," Fudge said, a little too sharply for his choice of words, his face quite flushed, "I have done all that I have believed to be right for our world. It is a tragedy that Professor Dumbledore was taken down with Hogwarts. A tragedy. But I can do nothing about it. I am only doing what is in the best interest of our world."

"You're doing what's in YOUR best interest!" Hermione protested, before Fudge abruptly turned from her.

"I must go. Business to attend to."

But as he began to walk off, Hermione yelled at his back, her eyes blazing, her hair wild and crazy, giving her the look of a banshee.

"Yes! Go! You've got funerals to prepare! Thousands of them!" 

Hermione stomped her foot on the ground angrily and threw herself in a chair on the sidelines, sobbing wildly. Ron's head was swirling. Harry was now biting his lip as he looked away from Hermione, his green eyes focusing on nothing in particular. He barely saw or heard the witch that thrust train passes in his and Harry's hands, saying briskly,

"Trains for ones leave in a few moments, trains for twos in less than an hour. Please be prompt."

He barely saw his mother as she threw her arms around him, her tears arriving in a torrent as she held him.

"Severus just told us! He was watching from the crowds! Oh, Ron!" 

Yes, there was Ginny, running up from the planning house breathlessly, Snape standing in the distance watching them. Ginny threw her arms around him as well, her tears soaking his cloak. His Mum pulled Harry into the hug and they stood there like that for a few minutes, a cluster of arms and bodies. But his Mum didn't keep crying. She straightened, took his face in her hands and whispered,

"You be safe. You take care of yourself. Don't worry about me. We'll be alright. You be strong. Be strong like your father. Ginny and I will get your things for you. Stay here. Say good-bye to everyone you have to. You don't want to be late, Ron." 

Ron had to let losse a hysterical chuckle as his mother apparated from the spot. She had sounded as if he was just going to school again. Just another school year. Say good-bye to all your friends, you're on your way to a place between heaven and hell. Don't worry, it'll all be fine. Close your eyes and hold on tight. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. 

"Ron," 

Hermione didn't say anything else as Ron put his arms around her brusquely, pulled her to him and kissed her. Hermione let out a sob, but fell into the kiss helplessly, unable to do or say anything else. Before Ron closed his eyes, he saw Harry take a step back, willing to give them privacy. 

_Good old Harry._

When they pulled apart, Hermione brushed a few stray hairs from her face, panting frantically.

"I tried! I tried to get them to let you stay together. But, but they didn't listen to me! They wouldn't listen!"

"I know, Hermione. I know. It's okay. It's better this way." Ron soothed, trying to calm her down. 

"_Better_ this way?" Hermione practically shrieked. "What are you saying? You won't be together!"

"Hermione, me an' Harry will always be together, alright? We're best friends. Just 'cause we didn't get to be on the same team, doesn't mean that I'll ever forget him. We'll see each other again. It, it's for the best, Hermione. We can't change it and we shouldn't try to. Best friends, they never leave each other, not really. Okay?" 

Hermione gulped air, trying to slow her panting. She stared at Ron, probing his thoughts. Finally, she nodded and threw her arms around him again. Ron rested his hand in her hair, stroking it silently. 

"Look, I don't want to say good-bye to you, Hermione. So, don't hate me. I just think, I don't know, maybe it's stupid. But I feel that if I say good-bye, there's a good chance that I won't say hello again. So let's just try to jinx fate and not say good-bye. Let's just say, see you later. That'll be better, huh? What do you think, Miss Hogwarts: A History? You think that'll work?" Ron asked quietly, a smile on his face.

Hermione drew away from him and smiled tearily, wiping her eyes as she did so. 

"I think that will be just fine." 

Hermione turned away from Ron and threw her arms around Harry. Harry stiffened slightly, then put his long arms around Hermione, resting his hands on the small of her back. She whispered a few words to him as he held her, and he responded quietly. When they broke apart, Hermione's eyes were once more filled with tears, and she choked as she smiled mistily, then turned and broke into a run towards the train station. 

Ron and Harry slowly turned to face each other, both silent, both unsure of what to say. Ron thought back to all the times that he and Harry had separated, at the end of every school year, and at the end of every adventure. There wasn't much that they hadn't done together through their lives. With the exception of that one time in fourth year, he and Harry had always been together, sharing all their dreams and adventures with each other. There had always been tomorrow after those days, but now, Ron wasn't sure of that. He couldn't be assured a tomorrow in times like these.

He and Harry had always departed at the end of the year with a carefree, "See you next year!" Never a good-bye. Not a true one in the sense of the word. Both of them knew, or rather _thought_ they knew, that they'd see each other next year. But now, they couldn't just say, "See you next year." They had to find different words. 

"Well, mate," Ron started quietly. "Don't rightly know what to say."

"Me either." Harry concurred quickly.

"I just, well, you're my best friend, Harry. I had the greatest of times with you, always. Even when I, well, when I was jealous of you in fourth year. You were still my best friend!" Ron said desperately, not willing to start an argument now. But Harry just chuckled and nodded.

"I know."

"I wouldn't take any of it back, not for the world."

"Me either, Ron. So,"

"So."

Both boys stared at each other in silence, neither of them knowing what to say to the other. 

"Well, it's like you told Hermione. I feel like, if I say good-bye, there's a good chance that I won't say hello again. So let's just try to jinx fate and not say good-bye. Let's just say, see you later." Harry said, repeating Ron's words with a wistful smile. Ron returned the smile, glad that his friend, his _best_ friend knew exactly what he meant, exactly what he felt. Ron slowly extended his hand and Harry met it halfway. As they slowly shook hands, a yell came to their ears.

"ONES MEET OVER AT THE TRAIN STATION! YOUR TRAIN LEAVES IN FIVE MINUTES!"

Ron watched as Harry winced, then closed his eyes, his hand still in Ron's. 

"My stuff's already at the station. I left it there this morning because,"

"You were late for the testing and you thought we were going back to the Burrow afterwards."

"Yeah." 

Harry stood still, then released his hold on Ron's hand and smiled at him.

"Well, see you later." 

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Harry."

"Hey, maybe after all this is over, we can go over to Hogsmeade and get some chocolate from Honeydukes and just walk around the place."

"Yeah, and then go get some butterbeers with Hermione."

"And then see if we can't get into Hogwarts from the secret passage in the Shrieking Shack." Harry said, smiling broadly. But the smile faded as he winced, hearing the second call for the ones at the train station. 

"Well, so long."

"So long, Harry."

Ron's heart leapt in his chest as he watched Harry run frantically towards the train station. He watched as Harry scooped his bag up from the ground that he'd dropped frantically that morning, and then as he jumped onto the train. He thought that maybe he saw Harry waving from one of the train windows, but it could have just been the fog around him playing tricks on him. 

"Why didn't you say good-bye to your friend?" 

Ron turned to face a witch who was wiping tears from her eyes as she watched a wizard run from her to the train station. Ron turned to her, trying to find the words to explain it to her. He didn't want to say good-bye. He wanted to have a foolish hope that someday he'd be able to see Harry again. He wanted to believe that he'd be able to do all those things with Harry someday. He wanted to believe that no matter what, they'd all be together again. Someday. He wanted to hold onto that one hope, no matter how foolish, even if it was something as crucial as not saying good-bye. Did he have a reason? Of course he did.

"Because friends never say good-bye."

************************************************************************ 

__

What is done has been done for the best.  
Though the mist in my eyes might suggest,  
Just a little confusion about what I'll lose.  
But if I started over, I know I would choose,

The same joy, the same sadness each step of the way,  
That fought me and taught me that friends never say,  
Never say goodbye.

************************************************************************ 


End file.
